Monday 21 July 2014

Chasing my tail.....


You know what it's like just being on the normal hamster wheel of life just getting through the usual stuff with a few extra good things thrown in to make me happily busy but nothing really different enough to make me think "oh I must blog that".

So there were friendsL&K to stay last weekend and a lovely pub meal out with them Saturday night and most of Sunday morning getting Skype to work on their phones.

So there has been the daily ritual picking of the ripe plums and checking the unripe ones and gathering up all the rotten fallen ones.

So there has been the weekly(ish) ritual of cutting back the rampant vines that grow at an amazing rate this time of year, so all stem and leaf growth without fruit on gets a regular lop to give the fruit a chance to grow beyond the size of petit pois! I live in hope :-)

So there was manic-motor-Monday...Hubby's car had a battery problem and coincidentally Daughter's car did too! Hubby called out his service guy and Daughter called out the RAC and my car was out giving her lifts and we had a visitor with a toddler and new baby (mmm baby cuddles) in their car all on the drive at the same time as next door had both their cars out and a van delivering something hahaha.

So there was the lunch by the river with my x-work team. It's been five years now since the department closed and we still meet up, isn't that special. :-)

So there was Hubby's friend here most of Tuesday for Hubby to fix his laptop. All fixed he went home switched it on and not fixed so here again most of Thursday too. Fingers crossed it really is fixed this time.

So there was a lovely craft morning with my neighbourT and four more of her friends. They are all into natural wool processing, spinning, weaving and dyeing. NeighbourT had a pan on the hob doing some dyeing experiment which I must remember to ask about, be very interested in seeing the finished result. This is a regular monthly gathering and they all bring lunch but this time I had a house full of people myself to feed so left the crafters to it.

So there was the appointment letter for 1st August for the Renal Unit, I was referred there in February. My doctor did an instant referral when one of the numbers on my blood test dropped but obviously the Renal Unit don't consider it urgent so that's good.

So there was my Wednesday night out which should have been a bbq at friendsM&P but friendM had major electrical problems at her holiday cottage she needed to get sorted which made it very late so we had Chinese takeaway instead which was also lovely. Actually they had to abandon the holiday cottage electrics until the morning and an electrician could come and still it took about six hours and new light fittings and a replacement switch all while paying holiday makers arrived and settled in, thankfully they were in very good humour about it all, but friendM was pulling her hair out!

So there was our regular art group on Thursday evening, followed by fun at Olive's bar.

So there has been lots of laundry going through the machine while the sun is shining, making the most of those solar panels. There had been children and water play and lots more towels needing washing too.

So there was the hottest day of the year so far (Friday) and I'm cooking a full roast dinner for us and Daughter, M and children, because we haven't had a proper dinner here for ages and Daughter got a bargain leg of lamb. I also made a baked bean roast for E so standing frying onions etc too. Seriously far too hot to have my head in the oven but well worth it when we all sat down to eat, yummy!

So there has been lots of violent storms this week with amazing lightning displays (I never seem to look out of windows at the right time tho) and really loud thunder and plenty of water but hasn't affected us at all thankfully. Although each storm has increased the need to clear up the plums on the ground again!

So there have been lots of power cuts in the house with something throwing the main trip switch far too often. Hubby thinks he's isolated it to an outside water feature/pond pump problem and has been doing lots of trial and repair on it all. Thought for one horrid moment some of the paving would have to be dug up, phew it didn't but a close thing and not fixed yet!

And finally there was the annual bbq for Hubby's Wednesday night bowling league. Very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. :-)

A pretty normal week then!
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6 comments:

Michelle said...

lol all the way through I was thinking you'd end "So there!" And you didn't!

I love plums :-)

MumB / @mumbosh said...

Hahaha can't be too predictable ;)
Any suggestions for de-stoning very ripe plums, I've tried lots of ways and have lots of squashed halves frozen then gave up and froze lots whole to try half thawed. Do like an upside down plum cake so want them to look good if possible.

Michelle said...

Gosh no! Other than a very sharp finely serrated knife. We've an excellent one with a narrow blade that is good for gently cutting things.

MumB / @mumbosh said...

Tried that and scooping with a spoon and gently easing away with my thumb nail all very messy and only partly successful......

Michelle said...

I think I'd next try not halving them but cutting down past the edge of the stone. So not as much of the fruit

MumB / @mumbosh said...

Done that too but they are small golden plums so ended up with skin and only a small amount of flesh. But don't give up and let me know if you think of anything else.